scrcpy
Display and control Android devices remotely
TLDR
Mirror Android device
SYNOPSIS
scrcpy [-s serial] [--record file] [--max-size px] [--max-fps fps] [options]
DESCRIPTION
scrcpy (screen copy) displays and controls Android devices from desktop. It mirrors the device screen with low latency, enabling interaction via mouse and keyboard.
Connection works over USB or WiFi. USB provides best performance; WiFi enables untethered use. The tool uses ADB for communication and custom server pushed to the device.
Control includes touch emulation, keyboard input, clipboard sync, and device buttons (power, volume, back). Multi-touch is supported with mouse + keyboard modifiers.
Recording captures the mirrored screen to MP4 or MKV without audio overhead. Combined with --no-display, it enables headless recording.
Screen-off mode keeps the device screen off while displaying on desktop - useful for battery saving. Stay-awake prevents device sleep during mirroring.
Window management options control placement and behavior. Fullscreen and always-on-top modes optimize different workflows.
PARAMETERS
-s SERIAL, --serial SERIAL
Device serial number.--max-size, -m SIZE
Limit resolution (shorter edge).--max-fps FPS
Limit frame rate.-r, --record FILE
Record to file (mp4/mkv).-b, --bit-rate RATE
Video bitrate (default: 8M).-n, --no-control
Disable control (mirror only).-N, --no-display
Disable display (record only).-t, --show-touches
Show touches on device.--turn-screen-off, -S
Turn device screen off.--stay-awake, -w
Keep device awake.--window-title TITLE
Custom window title.--window-x X
Window X position.--window-y Y
Window Y position.--window-width W
Window width.--window-height H
Window height.--fullscreen, -f
Start fullscreen.--always-on-top
Keep window on top.--crop W:H:X:Y
Crop screen region.--no-audio
Disable audio forwarding.
CAVEATS
Requires ADB and USB debugging enabled. Audio forwarding needs Android 11+. Some apps block screen capture. Wireless mode needs initial USB setup. High resolution/framerate increases latency. Not all keyboard shortcuts work in all apps.
HISTORY
scrcpy was created by Romain Vimont (rom1v) at Genymobile around 2018. It provides a lightweight alternative to Android emulators and vendor-specific mirroring tools. Written in C with SDL, it prioritizes performance and simplicity. The project is open source and actively maintained.